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Backpacker’s “Gear Guide” just out
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Jan 23, 2007 at 10:53 pm #1375518
Sarah, glad to hear you take precautions. I always hike with some form of defensive weapon; in the hopes that making it visible will defuse a situation. Twice I've come across really strange behaving male hikers. One was carrying what appeared to be all his worldly goods in some shoulder bags, mumbling and shouting to himself; some sort of homeless demented psycho.. a few hours from any trail head. There are some really anti-social anarchists out there in the woods.
At a minimum, pepper spray(multi-use bear spray), a defensive knife, and the skill and willingness to use them are necessary and responsible precautions IMO.
I remember that Mother/Daughter story; tragic.Jan 24, 2007 at 1:57 pm #1375580Greg Vallincourt, Roger, myself and anyone else that enjoys a book during an extended backpacking trip have a new choice.
I came across a device, Sony Reader PRS-500,This puppy can store up to 5,000! books; you can load your own files or, at the Sony online store get one of 10,000 titles!, for 25% less than the hardcover!; plus a full charge gives you 7,500 page turns!! (That's enough for Shawn B to read the HP series 3 times!) Unlike on an LCD type unit, the Sony's gray letters don't flicker or fade, even in bright sunlight!The six inch display holds it's image and draws no power until you turn the page or magnify the text!
Specs: 6.9"x 4.9"x 0.5", weighs 8.8ozs, battery life 7,500 page turns, memory 64MB roughly 80 books (expandable with memory cards), $300-400 @ sonystyle.com
I'm sure someone here with the electronic tech background could figure out how to get a solar panel to recharge this puppy in the field. Which would make this unit self charging to an extent!
I'm electronically challenged and just copied the text off the PS aug 2006 page; so if someone that has a clue to these computer geek toys could chime in on it's worth I'd be grateful.
As far as backpacker magazine, i subscribed throughout the '70's, then let my subscription lapse in the mid '80's as I saw them heading down a trail different than the one I chose to take. I have gear guides from as far back as 1998 I think; they show gear that was useful and not as fashion oriented, as today's guide. I'm with the majority here, it's fun to see what the masses are told to 'buy' from the 'experts', and what's out there, but knowing it's not even close to meeting my needs for the long trails IMO.
Jan 24, 2007 at 8:17 pm #1375629I have a Sony eReader PRS-500. Picked it up when I was in the US last month. It is a beauty. I got fed up lugging big heavy books around with me. The PRS-500 is the size of a trashy paperback but still the weight of a hard-back.
Yes you can buy books online at the Sony store. But better than that, you can download all those great classics that are out of copyright from http://www.gutenberg.org.
I can't comment on the battery life because it only been lasting 2-3 days for me. However two days ago I discovered that my daughter had activated the built-in MP3 player when I first got it! It is now off and so only page-turns will chew up the battery. I expect it to last weeks on a single charge.
So I don't think you need worry about solar panels. If you're away from electricity for more than several weeks then you've got more important things to worry about … like when you're next gonna get some decent coffee!!
Jan 25, 2007 at 1:06 am #1375648For all those trashing the Backpacker Gear Guide, just remember that the name of the magazine is "Backpacker", not "UL Backpacker" or even "Lightweight Backpacker".
Personally, I like to check out the glossy pictures – I just don't buy the stuff anymore. And the more backpackers carrying espresso makers and portable printers, the less crowded the true backcountry is for the enlightened.
HYOH
Jan 25, 2007 at 8:55 am #1375669Jason, good point.
I stopped packing with one guy because of UL. Anyone else? His heavy loads resulted in a style I wasn't interested in: eight mile hikes, an hour fashioning a campsite, lounging and leisurely strolls near camp. I caught myself preaching the bug-eyed litany of the converted. Gag!
My wife enjoys backcountry packing with me for 2 day trips as long as: bug-control, warm and dry, full tent, cushy mattress and water for cleaning up.
See, this site represents the fanatic fringe. It has its share of geniuses, nuts and just plain determined tinkerers. That's what cutting edge looks like. The mainstream Backpacker Gear Listers are on our side and edging in this direction, commercial glossies and all. If you saw nothing of interest in the Gear List then you have graduated (grasshopper – time for you to leave). But the non-fanatical will look somewhere. All in all, it's an OK source for them.
PS: My 9lb base weight hardly qualifies me for membership in this site. I expect to be kicked off any day :)
Paul
Jan 25, 2007 at 1:01 pm #1375702John Broadbent, Good one! Thanks for the info, I'll PM you with further questions. Thanks
Jan 26, 2007 at 6:38 pm #1375917Okay this is my first post on these forums and I thought I'd chime in. I live in Canada and Backpacker feels the need to constantly leave us out of their publication. That being said, I enjoy most of their issues. There's not really another Mag like it on the market. There's certainly no national backpacking mag in Canada. We have to remember, there would be no publication without advertising and If i have to put up with a little "fluff", so be it.
My $ 0.02
Jan 27, 2007 at 5:48 am #1375965Greetings Harlan,
"I live in Canada and Backpacker feels the need to constantly leave us out of their publication."
I hear ya.Like it has been said; Rodale = all lot of fluff
…..However for years, until now, it has fed my addiction, to which we all seem to enjoy.
I cannot find it here in Canada yet! S#$^##^*TDoug
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Jan 28, 2007 at 2:17 am #1376046Doug, Is that a Cedarstrip I see trying to crawl over a beaverdam? lol…Did you build it yourself?
Feb 19, 2007 at 11:10 pm #1379275Ladies and gentlemen, this is what we are up against (allow me to temporarily group myself with some of the more esteemed members of BPL to make a point).. Getting "campers" like those in this video to give up their inflatable chairs and Rubbermaid Action Packers full of beer and tequila, to become consumers of UL gear, thus boosting that market for high quality products. Right?
Sara, Jane, et. al., you might have seen these guys at the trailhead, hooting and hollering at you as you head off toting your pack. Generally these types are not seen far from where the pavement ends.
Feb 20, 2007 at 7:22 am #1379300Man, that's a COTTON shirt that he got all sticky and wet!
Feb 20, 2007 at 8:08 am #1379306I worked in Yellowstone last summer with Xanterra, the main hotel and food concessionaire in the park. While my experience was great, and I'm definitely considering going back for another season, I have to admit that it was an eye-opening and frustrating experience.
Most people that I met were very nice, interesting, and generally great. But no one seemed to be interested in the kind of trips I was interested in. You would think that the main draw for people coming to work in Yellowstone would be to see as much of the backcountry as possible, yet I couldn't even find someone who wanted to do the 20 miles from Hellroaring Creek through the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone to Gardiner in 1 night/2 days, a leisurely pace on a trail that loses elevation the whole way. 2-6 mile hike in, get high/wasted, and hike out the next morning trips were the standard for those that did camp, which were few in number to begin with. Trails that required a shuttle were almost out of the question as I couldn't get anyone to agree to them.
I was honestly quite confused about why many people were there. It seems to me that there are far more convenient and better paying places to get drunk every night and stay inside. I enjoyed having the trails to myself, but I still worry about general wilderness appreciation. If backpackers are hard to find even among those who choose to work in a national park all summer for sub-par pay and living conditions… well, wow.
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